Citation

Spearpoint MJ, Murrell JV, Rock P, Smithies JN. Fire Safety J. 1996; 26(2): 151-179.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper presents the results of nine from a series of 51 instrumented full-scale fire tests designed to demonstrate the feasibility of using a detector-operated water discharge system to enhance the life safety of occupants of limited mobility in the room of fire origin.Tests were conducted in a room 4[middle dot]0 m long x 3[middle dot]6 m wide x 2[middle dot]4 m high using both smouldering and flaming fires. The length of time available for escape from the room was obtained by comparing the time of detection with the earliest onset of a hazardous condition as determined by a life threat model.The system incorporated a multi-sensor, two-stage fire detection algorithm using signals from an optical smoke sensor and a heat sensor. Three sensitivity settings of the detection algorithm were assessed. It was found that at the highest sensitivity, the frequency of false alarms was likely to be unacceptable, whilst at the lowest sensitivity, the detection algorithm might fail to detect a fire before conditions within the room became a threat to life.The results show that by using the intermediate sensitivity for the detection algorithm, the system was able to respond to smouldering fires before the onset of hazardous conditions and before domestic sprinklers would operate. With fast flaming fire scenarios, the performance of the system was found to be comparable to that which would be expected from domestic sprinklers.